Enjoy our archive of Lisa’s monthly newsletters
If you have a house, it needs a map. Correction, whether you rent or own, your home needs a map. They are aesthetically pleasing, and always evoke a sense of nostalgia. Yet, if you have kids, a good historical map is indispensable. Let’s face it, our school system is not what it used to be. […]
What do you do during the Holy Crusade when your kingdom is threatened by potential Muslim invasion? You call upon the help of a mythical Christian priest/king of course. That was the case in the 1100s. When relations got tense, and the Turks threatened to invade the Crusader Kingdoms under the leadership of Imad ad-din […]
Everyone wants their house to look amazing. They want the interior to pop when guests enter. They want people impressed, maybe talking about the color scheme or furniture style. However, what if there was one design tip you could implement that would leave your guests talking long after they left. You know, something that would […]
Not only are pigs a great source of food, they can also be a great source of trouble. Take for instance the Pig War that started in the mid-1800s. The incident was centered around the Treaty of 1846. As it happened, there were land disputes between the United States and Great Britain concerning the land that lay west […]
At Great River Arts, we are known for maps. We make beautiful, custom, hand painted historical maps featuring locations around the globe. We also produce custom maps of various sizes, according to the order placed. However, now we also produce custom silk scarves. That’s right, the same beautiful maps and locations featured on Great River […]
Since we are traveling next week to be part of the Western Design Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and featuring our great new Jackson Wyoming custom map I thought a conversation about the gift “value” of custom maps would be in order. Once you see the value, you will see why custom maps are the […]
It should come as no surprise that often times there are hidden secrets in great works of art, if you know where to look. For instance, the great artist Caravaggio painted “David with the head of Goliath”, featuring his own head in place of Goliath’s as a way to atone for his past crimes. While […]
Long as maps have been produced, colorists have been used to add a bit of color to the map. Most of the time, this was done by hand, as early as the 1400s. However, over time the method would improve with the use of wooden blocks, intaglio, and eventually automated to a degree in the 19th century […]
Part 1 The european exploration of North America was as tumultuous as it was fascinating. According to formal history it began in the late 1400s with the famous voyage by Christopher Columbus. Once the European explorers landed here, they shortly returned to Spain. This trip was just a scouting trip of sorts and an effort to look […]
Plains Indians were known for their paintings, or narrative drawings, produced on paper or cloth. Usually, the medium was contingent upon whatever was handy. In the beginning, this would mean drawings and paintings were produced on animal skin. Dakota man painting figures (winter count) on buffalo skin. 1929. Photo by J.A. Anderson. Source – National Anthropological Archives, […]
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